Box

Abstract

A one-piece box is disclosed which is foldable from a flat blank to an erect box. The box is provided with a corner interlock comprising a tab on the side wall extending through an opening in the front wall. A cover interlock is provided using a single panel front wall having a tab which extends through an opening in the cover. The box blanks may be cut from a single board in side-by-side nested relationship with a wall or flap of one box blank being of reduced height and receiving a protruding portion of the corresponding wall or flap of the adjacent box blank.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A box folded from a flat board and comprising: a bottom having front and rear edges,   first and second side walls hingedly attached along respective hinge lines to opposite side edges of the bottom, each of said side walls having front and rear ends,   front and rear walls hingedly attached along respective hinge lines to the front and rear edges, respectively, of the bottom,   each of said walls being flat and defining a plane,   first and second tabs extending forwardly from the front end of the first and second side walls, respectively, each tab having a hook portion and being coplanar with its respective side wall,   the front wall having first and second openings aligned, respectively, with the first and second tabs, the first opening having inner and outer edges and a first opening portion at a location which allows the first tab to pass through the front wall with the first tab substantially perpendicular to the front wall when the first side wall is in a first folded position and when the front wall is folded toward the front end of the first side wall to a predetermined position in which the plane of the front wall is between the hook portion of the first tab and the front end of the first side wall, said first opening having a second opening portion which allows the first side wall to be moved from the first folded position to a second folded position in which a portion of the front wall is disposed between the hook portion of the first tab and the front end of the first side wall when the front wall is in said predetermined position,   the second opening having inner and outer edges and a first opening portion at a location which allows the second tab to pass through the front wall with the second tab substantially perpendicular to the front wall when the second side wall is in a first folded position and when the front wall is folded toward the front end of the second side wall to a predetermined position in which the plane of the front wall is between the hook portion of the second tab and the front end of the second side wall, said second opening having a second opening portion which allows the second side wall to be moved from the first folded position to a second folded position in which a portion of the front wall is disposed between the hook portion of the second tab and the front end of the second side wall when the front wall is in said predetermined position,   whereby said side walls may be interlocked with said front wall by said tabs.   
     
     
       2. A box as defined in claim 1 wherein: said hook portion of the first tab has an edge opposite the end of the first side wall forming a first notch which terminates in a close end,   said hook portion and the end of the side wall define a notch.   
     
     
       3. A box as defined in claim 2 wherein: the closed end of the first notch is in alignment with the hinge line of the front wall,   the closed end of the second notch is in alignment with the hinge line of the front wall,   whereby said front wall is positioned by the tab so that the front wall is approximately perpendicular to the bottom.   
     
     
       4. A box as defined in claim 1 wherein: said first opening includes an outer edge in approximate alignment with the hinge line of the first side wall whereby the first side wall is retained in an interlocked position approximately perpendicular to the bottom,   and said second opening includes an outer edge in approximate alignment with the hinge line of the second side wall whereby the second side wall is retained in an interlocked position approximately perpendicular to the bottom.   
     
     
       5. A box as defined in claim 2 wherein: each of said notches have a width at the closed end which is equal to or less than the thickness of the front wall.   
     
     
       6. A box as defined in claim 1 wherein: the inner edge of said first opening limits the movement of the first side wall to said first folded position by engagement of said tab,   and the inner edge of said second opening limits the movement of the second side wall to said first folded position by engagement of said tab.   
     
     
       7. A box as defined in claim 6 wherein, said first folded position of each side wall is a position in which each side wall is folded inwardly to an angle of about seventy degrees from the bottom.   
     
     
       8. A box as defined in claim 1 wherein said second opening portion of the first and second openings is disposed outwardly, respectively, of said first opening portion of the first and second openings. 
     
     
       9. In a box of a type folded from a flat board and having a panel with first and second adjacent angularly oriented edges and having first and second walls attached to and folded at said first and second edges, respectively, to an approximately upright position from the panel, each of said walls being flat and defining a plane, the first wall having an end, a corner interlock comprising: a tab having a hook portion extending from the end of the first wall, said tab being coplanar with the first wall,   the second wall having an opening including a first opening portion at a location which allows the tab to pass through the second wall with the tab substantially perpendicular to the second wall when the first wall is in a first folded position and when the second wall is folded toward the end of the first wall to a predetermined position in which the plane of the second wall is between the hook portion and the end of the first wall, said opening including a second opening portion which allows the first wall to be moved from the first folded position to a second folded position in which a portion of the second wall is disposed between the hook portion and an edge of the first wall when the second wall is in said predetermined position whereby the first wall is interlocked with the second wall by said tab.   
     
     
       10. A box as defined in claim 9 wherein: said hook portion and the end of the first wall define a notch.   
     
     
       11. First and second blanks for folding into first and second boxes, respectively, each of said blanks comprising: a bottom panel having front, rear, right side and left side edges defined by corresponding fold lines on said blank,   right and left side walls attached to the bottom panel along said right side and left side fold lines, respectively, and having front and rear edges,   a front wall having front and rear edges with its rear edge attached to the front edge of said bottom panel along said front fold line,   a rear wall having a lower and an upper edge, the lower edge being attached to the rear edge of the bottom panel along the rear fold line,   a cover having rear, right side and left side edges defined by corresponding fold lines on said blank, said rear edge of the cover being attached to the upper edge of the rear wall,   right and left side flaps attached to the right and left edges, respectively, of said cover along the corresponding right side and left side fold lines,   each of the right and left side flaps having a height throughout a first part of its length which is substantially the same as the height of the rear wall,   each of the right and left side walls having a height throughout a first part of its length which is smaller than the height of the rear wall,   said first and second blanks being disposed side-by-side and oriented at one hundred-eighty degrees from each other with at least a portion of said first part of one of the right and left side flaps being nested in at least a portion of said first part of the same one of the right and left side walls.   
     
     
       12. First and second blanks as defined in claim 11 wherein: each of the right and left side flaps of each blank has a height throughout a second part of its length which is less than the height of the rear wall by an offset distance,   and said height of each of the right and left side walls throughout the first part of its length is smaller by substantially said offset distance than the height of the rear wall and the height throughout a second part of its length is substantially the same as the height of the rear wall.   
     
     
       13. First and second blanks as defined in claim 11 wherein: said first part of the length of each side flap is more than half the length of the side flap,   and said first part of the length of each side wall is more than half the length of the side wall.   
     
     
       14. First and second blanks as defined in claim 11 wherein, in each of said blanks, the rear edge of the bottom panel is approximately half-way between the front edge of the cover and the front edge of the front wall. 
     
     
       15. First and second blanks formed on a single board and cut apart for folding into separate boxes, each of said blanks comprising: a bottom panel having front, rear, right side and left side edges defined by corresponding fold lines on said blank,   right and left side walls attached to the bottom panel along said right side and left side fold lines, respectively,   a front wall attached to the front edge of said bottom panel along said front fold line,   a rear wall having a lower and an upper edge, the lower edge being attached to the rear edge of the bottom panel along the rear fold line,   a cover having rear, right side and left side edges defined by corresponding fold lines on said blank, said rear edge of the cover being attached to the upper edge of the rear wall,   right and left side flaps attached to the right and left edges, respectively, of said cover along the corresponding right side and left side fold lines,   each of the right and left side flaps having a height throughout at least part of its length which is substantially the same as the height of the rear wall,   each of the right and left side walls having a height throughout at least part of its length which is smaller than the height of the rear wall,   said first and second blanks being oriented at one hundred eighty degrees from each other and nested in contiguous relationship.   
     
     
       16. In a box of a type folded from a flat board and having a panel with first and second adjacent angularly oriented edges and having first and second walls attached to and folded along said first and second edges, respectively, each of said walls being flat and defining a plane the first wall having an end, the first and second walls being attached to the panel by first and second hinge elements for folding of the walls along said edges, each of the hinge elements being sufficiently resilient to exhibit spring-back movement from a stressed position toward an unstressed position, said hinge elements being unstressed when the walls and panel are flat, a corner interlock comprising: an interlock tab extending from the end of the first wall, said tab being coplanar with the first wall,   the second wall having an opening with a periphery at a location which allows the tab to pass through the opening with the walls folded towards an approximately upright position relative to the panel to make a corner and with the tab and opening in a first relative position, said tab being engageable with the periphery of said opening to interlock the walls with the tab and opening in a second relative position, said walls being urged by the spring-back of said hinge elements from the first to the second relative position.   
     
     
       17. A box as defined in claim 16 wherein: the tab has a hook portion, said hook portion being in opposed relation to the second wall when the tab and opening are in the second relative position, said hook portion being urged into engagement with the second wall by spring-back of the second wall.   
     
     
       18. A box as defined in claim 17 wherein: said hook portion and the end of the first wall define a notch whereby the second wall is held between the hook portion and the end of the first wall when the tab and opening are in the second relative position.   
     
     
       19. A box as defined in claim 17 wherein: the panel is the bottom of the box,   and the hook portion extends upwardly from the panel.   
     
     
       20. A box as defined in claim 18 wherein: the panel is the bottom of the box,   and said notch opens upwardly from the tab.